In Sermon Illustrations: "Stopping"

Song Above The Noise

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

SONG ABOVE THE NOISE A man said: While walking along a busy street one day, I heard someone singing. His sweet voice was distinguishable even above the noise of the traffic. When I located him, I noticed that he had no legs and was pushing himself through the crowd in a wheelchair. Catching up ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 34:2

Tags: Joy

Moving Day

Contributed by Doug Lyon on Mar 7, 2009

MOVING DAY Shortly before his death, Dr. M. R. De Haan, founder of Radio Bible Class, took great comfort from an article written by J. E. Campbell. The article spoke of death in a unique way: "Moving day is coming. Just when the van will stop at our home we do not know—-but for everyone it is ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Small Boy Who Was Not Quite Three Years Old ...

Contributed by Martin Wiles on Aug 30, 2010

A small boy who was not quite three years old skipped down an imposing corridor. The armed servicemen took no notice of him as he passed their posts. He passed several staff members who paid no attention to him. The guard outside the door the little boy wanted to enter made no attempt to stop him. ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Baptist

Phobias Into Faith

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 5, 2011

PHOBIAS INTO FAITH As most of you have read in my past e mails I hate to camp. I hate the dark. I hate spiders and you show me a snake I am finished. But the Lord has used all these phobias for me to put my faith into practice. If we had everything we ever needed we wouldn’t need God. Left to ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

A 33-Year-Old Great

Contributed by Steve Wilson on Jun 6, 2012

A 33-YEAR-OLD GREAT About 2,300 years ago Alexander the Great marched his army from Greece to India. Though the distance was long, his army was unstoppable. The only reason he stopped was that his men became homesick and wanted to return to Greece. That march had long ranging influence. The Greek ...read more

Tags: Cross

Denomination: Baptist

Stressed Santa

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jan 6, 2013

STRESSED OUT SANTA A shopping mall Santa Claus in California had a meltdown after refusing to cuddle a bawling toddler, calling the mother evil and ripping off his beard and costume in front of startled children. Kelly Fornatoro, 33, said she told Santa her 19 month old son, Brian, would stop ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Stress

Denomination: Methodist

A Woman Sees A Father Shopping With A Fussy ...  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jun 3, 2013

A woman sees a father shopping with a fussy two-year-old in his grocery cart. “Be patient, Billy,” he whispers. “You can handle this, Billy. It’s okay, Billy.” The woman said to him, “I don’t mean to interrupt your shopping, but I just had to tell you how wonderfully loving and patient you are ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-33, Genesis 15:1-6

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Go Beyond The Cross  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Apr 7, 2009

GO BEYOND THE CROSS Every year, thousands of people climb a mountain in the Italian Alps, passing the "stations of the cross" to stand at an outdoor crucifix. One tourist noticed a little trail that led beyond the cross. He fought through the rough thicket and, to his surprise, came upon another ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Christ Is

Contributed by Dr.w.samuel Legon on Jun 27, 2009

**Christ is ** Alive He is our God We should worship him He should be our icon He should be the one we weep for not man We should buy his book Listen to his music Come from far and wide to worship him We need to praise God not man The way of life not death With us in spirit and truth Christ love ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Finishing The Race Together

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 8, 2009

FINISHING THE RACE TOGETHER Several years ago, five handicapped finalists gathered at the starting line for the Special Olympics. They had all trained hard for this day. Hearts were pounding. And each one wanted to win. The starter’s gun discharged and the athletes exploded from their crouched ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Charismatic

Protective Equipment

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 26, 2009

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT From John Gillmartin--Somehow, the young man found himself standing directly in the path of an oncoming car. The driver hit her brakes. Before either of them could do anything it seemed the 10 year old was shoulder deep in the windshield of the automobile. "Are you ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:6-12

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Working Late In The Cemetery  PRO

Contributed by Dean Courtier on Oct 29, 2009

WORKING LATE IN THE CEMETERY Late one dark night, two men were walking home after a party. They were tired and desperate to get home, so they decided to take a shortcut through a cemetery. They got to about the middle of the graveyard, and they were startled and stopped moving. There was a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

Tags: Halloween

Denomination: Pentecostal

God's Boot Camp

Contributed by Jerry Blaxton on Feb 14, 2010

GOD'S BOOT CAMP When a civilian enters the military, they go through boot camp. It's my understanding that in boot camp, the individual is broken down, and they are retrained to see themselves as part of the unit. They are conditioned to be disciplined to obey the commands of their superiors. In a ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

I Sure Wish Jesus Could Have Been There!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 28, 2014

I SURE WISH JESUS COULD HAVE BEEN THERE! A church had a special concert and the worship center was packed. The congregation had one of their greatest times of worship ever! Later that evening, a young mother from the church was putting her little boy to bed. He had enjoyed the concert so much ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 33:1-20

Tags: Jesus, Children, Prayer, Presence Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Helping People Go Home

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

The conductor of a railroad was on his last day before retiring. As he was going through the cars punching tickets, he came to the third car and there was a man who had ridden that car through the years with the conductor. He stopped him by grabbing his shirt sleeve and said, “Hey Jim, how do you ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-18

Tags: Evangelism, Death, Salvation, Going Home

Denomination: Methodist

A Light For My Path

Contributed by Casey Sabella on Jan 28, 2016

Psalm 118:105: Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (NLT) While in India on a brief missions trip, I was summoned to a the home of an official who was sick. He wanted me to agree with him in prayer. On the way, we traveled along a river in the dead of night. We carried ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:105

Tags: Bible, Path, Snake, Flashlight

Denomination: Independent/Bible

You Need Revival When.....

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 30, 2020

1. You are entertained by things that once grieved you. 2. You are silent where you once spoke. 3. Your prayer closet has cobwebs and your Bible is dusty. 4. You have ceased to grieve over your own sin. 5. You have stopped sharing your faith. 6. You are more excited about your personal agenda ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Revival, Beatitudes, Thirsting For God, Hungering For God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Golf As Alternative To Church?

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 22, 2025

The little church in the suburbs suddenly stopped buying from its regular office supply dealer. So, the dealer telephoned Deacon Brown to ask why. "I'll tell you why," shouted Deacon Brown. "Our church ordered some pencils from you to be used in the pews for visitors to ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25-27

Tags: Faithfulness, Excuses, Golf, Church Attendance

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The House God Moved

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 12, 2025

The story of that little church in Swan Quarter, North Carolina, still stirs my heart. In 1874 the congregation built a modest wooden building, but the land they truly wanted had been refused by its owner. Two years later a storm struck the town, the kind of storm that tears apart homes and ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:7-8, Psalm 127:1

Tags: Guidance, Providence

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Push Or Pull

Contributed by David Dunn on Jan 26, 2026

Two people were trying to move a heavy piece of office furniture—a large cabinet—from one room into another. It was solid, awkward, and just wide enough to be a problem. They managed to get it to the doorway, and then everything stopped. They strained. They pushed harder. They adjusted their ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:1-2

Tags: Fellowship, Unity

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist